Transfer of Magic
by Umimare
Summary: Yugioh/Harry Potter Crossover, 3 OC's... Umi visits hogwarts with the yugioh gang and meets some interesting people there
1. REPOSTHope this fixes the problem

Transfer of Magic

Adorned with the golden number _7_, stood a plain house, looking like any other on the street. Red-brown brick in need of a clean, red shutters framing the windows, a cookie cutter porch and a single car garage made the house look benign. However, this house, unlike the ones around it, was not completely dark, as one would assume a house should be at midnight. A bright light shone out of two windows on the second story. These lit tiny puddles of yellow glow onto the grass in front of the home. A tall girl sat curled up in a chair in front of a softly humming computer. The monitor cast a pearly white glow onto the girls face, washing her out slightly. She had her curly dark brown hair pulled into a lose pony-tail at the nape of her neck, revealing her slightly pointed ears. Her almond-shaped eyes peered intently at the screen, the gold-green of their depths glittering in amusement from behind black semi-rimless glasses. Her rounded nose sat just above sculpted pink lips, turned up in a half smile. She wore a simple brown tee-shirt, with the words "Queen of Rock and Roll" scripted on the front in gold cursive, and a pair of black shorts. One of her long legs was curled up underneath her, and the other brushed the creamy carpet beneath her feet. Her nimble fingers stroked the keys, an uneven clicking sound arising from them. Every once in a while, she would pause, and wait, before resuming her clicking away at the keyboard. There came a short tapping at the window, startling the girl out of her reverie. She immediately drew away from the pane of glass beside her, her ears perking up, listening intently. However, she relaxed the next second. Opening the window carefully, she drew a small owl inside. The owl dropped a yellow envelope into her lap before taking up residence on the top of the monitor. She picked up the parcel, reading the address written in neat English, her smile returning to her face.

_Umimare 'Umi' Kagamine_

_The Lit Bedroom_

_Little Winging_

_Surry_

Umi slid her finger under the wax seal on the back, careful not to disturb the lovely indent of a raven, a badger, a lion, and a snake, all inside an ornate shield, that was pressed into the dried wax. The letter inside, written on thick parchment, read thusly.

_Albus Dumbledore (Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf, Supreme Mugwump, International Confederation of Wizards)_

_Dear Ms. Kagamine:_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in England. The list of supplies has everything you will be needing for your school year. Supplies can be bought in Diagon Alley, situated behind the Leaky Cauldron. The Hogwarts Express leaves Kings Cross September 1st__from platform 9__3/4. We will be expecting your owl no later than August31st._

_Minerva McGonagall  
Deputy Headmistress_

_Minerva McGonagall_

"The same letter that Yuugi-chan got." Umi mused, glancing over the list of supplies that remained inside the envelope. "A wand...robes...cauldron...sounds interesting!" she voiced, folding the letter carefully, and placing it back inside the envelope. "Now I don't feel bad about forcing the Yuugi-tachi into that English-language class." Umi giggled. Just then, the computer let out a musical chime, and she returned her attention to the monitor.

**XGameKingX:**Anyway, Umi-chan, what _are_ you doing up so late?

**MirrorQueen:**I couldn't sleep...homesick, I guess, but at least I wasn't woken up by the owl...only startled.

**XGameKingX:**Yeah, we miss you back home in Domino. You said owl? You got a letter to, then?

**MirrorQueen:**Yup, same thing yours said.

**MirrorQueen:**Are you going?

**XGameKingX:**Yeah. Should be fun.

**XGameKingX:**Yami wants to talk

**XGameKingX:**Hello Umi-san. Having fun at your cousins?

**MirrorQueen:**Hey Yami-kun, Yeah, but I miss the gang

**XGameKingX:**And we miss you, but I digress-Did you sense any odd magic on your letter? Yuugi's is radiating a new, weaker, type of magic

**MirrorQueen:**I felt a small change in the air, and my item is glowing and flashing something fierce

**XGameKingX:**The puzzle did that too. Is _she_ awake?

**MirrorQueen:** _She_ fell asleep a while ago...but I could get her for you...

**XGameKingX:** I...no, _we'd_ rather you didnt. She's not a fun person when you wake her.

**MirrorQueen:** _Thank Ra_. I really didnt want to be on the receiving end of _that_ ever again

**MirrorQueen:**Hey, Yami-kun, Yuugi-chan, I'm going to try to get some sleep. I need to book a ticket to London tomorrow to get everything.

**XGameKingX:**Goodnight Umi-san...or is it good morning?

**MirrorQueen:** Both maybe? Goodnight yourself, by the way.

Umi clicked off her computer, and turned to look at her item, still glowing faintly on the desk. She picked up the Ankh by its cord, and it quieted. Glaring at it, she hung it around her neck "Stupid hunk of gold." she complained. The owl hooted softly from its perch. "Oops, sorry owl!" Umi exclaimed. She grabbed a slightly crumpled piece of notebook paper, and scribbled a quick reply, before tying it to the owl's outstretched leg. The owl flew in a circle around Umi's room once before it passed through the open window and into the night sky. Stretching, Umi closed her window before flopping onto her bed, clicking off the lamp sharply. The darkness consumed the room, blurring the things inside as the hum of the computer quieted and faded away.

Umi stared blankly out the window of the train, eyes glazed over.

|Where did that note say to go?| an ethereal voice chimed through her head.

-| Diagon Alley. I have to find some Leaky Cauldron tavern...pub...hotel place...|- Umi responded in a bored voice.

|Why do I get the distinct feeling your not enjoying this trip at all?| the voice asked, exasperation floating through the words.

-|Mare, just shut up|- Umi snapped. -| Your not helping- you're just me a headache|-

Mare made an annoyed sound, but retreated into her Soul Room. There was a loud clatter as the train jolted to a stop not five minutes later, causing Umi to bang her head up against the Plexiglas window. "Fuck!" she swore loudly, rubbing the spot, which was rapidly turning pink. |Are you alright?| Mare's musical laughter served to annoy Umi more, for she stormed out of the train, a scowl firmly pasted on her face. -| If your not gonna help look, go to your soul room and shut up|- Umi suggested rudely, looking side to side for the Leaky Caldron. |Is that it, next to the book-store?| Mare offered, pointing a ghostly finger at a grubby little building with a wooden sign hanging over the door.

-| That very well could be it...|-

|Well go in then-We don't have much time before term starts, and we need to read all those books!|

-|Why on earth would we do that?|-

|Because I want us to be the top student there. I LIKE being the best|

Umi scoffed, but said nothing. She entered the grimy pub, wiping her hands on her jeans after she closed the door. |Eww, I don't even want to know what was on that handle to make it so sticky...| Mare groaned, giving the door a disgusted look.

-|Lets read the list over, and then we'll ask someone about Diagon Alley|- Umi said, standing out of the way, and glancing over the book list.

_Uniform:  
1. three sets of plain work robes (black)  
2. One plain pointed hat (black) for daily wear  
3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)  
4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)  
5. One set of dress robes (to be worn at formal occasions) Please note that all pupils' clothing should carry nametags._

_Course Books : All students should have a copy of the following:  
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)  
By Miranda Goshawk_  
_A History of Magic  
By Bathilda Bagshot_

_A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration  
By Emeric Switch_

_One Thousand and One Magical Herbs and Fungi  
By Phyllida Spore_

_Magical Drafts and Potions  
By Arsenius Jigger_

_Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_

_By Newt Scamander_

_Other equipment:  
1 wand  
1 cauldron (pewter, stander size 2)  
1 set glass or crystal phials  
1 set brass scales  
Students may also bring an owl__**OR**__a cat__**OR**__a toad_

|That there is one _long_ school supply list|

~Break~

After a trying afternoon of getting books, -"Damnit! I left my money bag behind"-, selecting robes, "Gah! You stuck me _again_!" and picking out cauldrons, -| No, you may _not_ send the salesman to the shadow realm|-...-|I don't care _how_ annoying he is|-, Umi had reached the whole reason she had wanted to come in the first place. The wand shop.

She pushed open the door, making the little bell chime softly. The shop looked deserted, but she new better. Mare had told her she sensed the presence of a _very_ ancient soul hiding in the back of the shop. "Come out, I know your there." Umi called. All at once, a short, balding man popped up beside her.

Umi paused, taking in the magical aura flowing off of him-he was only about 2000 years younger than Yami or Mare were. -|I'm slightly impressed...|- she breathed. Mare scoffed. |He has nothing on _me_. Besides, I'm stronger than he'll ever be.| she boasted. "Welcome to my shop. Here for your first wand, I presume?" He asked, a tape measure snaking around her waist. Umi glared at it, and it backed off.

"Yes, I have come to purchase my wand." Umi answered. She was still slightly annoyed, even as she was taking a slender box (Beach, 14 inches, dragon heartstring, whippy) as it was pushed into her hands. Inside lay a small stick she assumed was a wand. "Give it a wave." the man said impatiently. She compiled, giving the tiny stick a skeptical glare. The glass in the window shattered, spraying all over the wooden floorboards. "No...definately not.." the old man said in a choked tone. This pattern continued through several wands, before the old man paused, and saw her ankh.

Quickly, he turned about, and headed to the back of his shop. "Here. Try _this_." he said, handing her a box that was easily a yard long, if not longer. Out of this pale silver box, she drew a white-wood staff. "White Maple, 3 and a half feet, unicorn tail hair and golden phoenix wing feather, supple." The instant Umi took the wand, she felt warm and safe. She waved it, and the window repaired itself, good as new. "Yes, that would be your wand." the man said, removing the other wands. He saw her look of concern at the huge-ness of the object. "Don't worry about the size; it will change when you find it inconvenient for it to be so large. It's such an odd combination to. White maple and Phoenix feathers are not usually used together, you know." Umi only nodded, collecting her parcels, and heading out of the shop. "How the heck am I supposed to get all this home with me?" Umi groaned. |Get a room at a hotel someplace. You can go straight to platform 9 3/4 at the station in a few days| Mare suggested, pointing at a small 'muggle' hostel just down the street from the Alley. -|Thanks, I don't fancy a train ride at rush hour|- Umi said, dragging her packages to the small hostel, and renting a room for the night. She paid immediately, so she wouldn't have to return to the desk with her parcels- the woman behind the counter was giving her odd looks.

|Can I send _this_ one to the Shadow-?|

-|NO!|-

|You spoil my fun, my hikari, really you do|

-|My life is complete...|- Umi said, sarcasm _dripping_ from her 'voice'.

|Shut up, I really don't want to drown in your sarcasm|

Umi scowled darkly in return, sliding the key-card into the slot on the door. Upon entering the room, she tossed her parcels carefully into a corner, and flopped onto the bed, pulling the covers around herself.

-|Goodnight, Mare-chan|-

|Goodnight, my hikari|

Just before Mare fell asleep, she cast a bit of shadow magic at the light switch, throwing the room into sudden darkness. "Sweet dreams, love." she breathed, lying beside the tall hikari.

~Break~

The loud ringing of Umi's cell phone woke the pair at 7: 43 in the morning a few days later. Groping for her phone while keeping her head under the sheets was proving to be a challenge for the poor hikari. She tumbled out of bed, landing directly on top of the phone she had been searching for. |Are you alright, hikari?| Mare asked, concerned. -|Fine, but I'm going to kill whoever's on the other end.|- she snarled, picking up the annoying device. "Hello?" she growled _"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today."_A rich, lightly accented male voice joked. "_Malik_...I am going to _kill_ you." she hissed dangerously. Mare felt bad for the phone-Umi was squeezing the thing so hard, it looked like it was going to shatter. _"Calm, now, girl. I don't think you taking your anger out on your poor phone is the best idea, ya know."_ it was only then that Umi realized she was, indeed, taking her anger out on the phone. "Oops..."

_"But don't worry; you can take all your anger out at me when we go to that wizard school together!"_ Malik chimed gleefully.

"How did-?"

_"- I know? Yuugi called me last night, and mentioned you'd gotten the same letter."_

"Remind me to kill the bugger." Umi joked; much less annoyed now that she knew she could beat on Malik later.

_"Sure, I'll even help."_

Umi smirked. "It would be a pleasure to have you along for the ride, Malik."

_"Sometimes I don't understand why YOURE the hikari, Umi. The only time Mare is remotely evil is when someone wakes her up."_

"I resent that-YOU hardly act like a light yourself, Malik." _"_

_Hey, little adjectives like 'sane' or 'good' never really applied to me at all."_

"Whatever Malik-You two are in Europe now, right? The train leaves today."

_"Arrived late yesterday night, in fact. Saw our little Yugi-ou at the airport. He looked pooped."_

Umi snickered. "I don't blame him, the time difference took me a week to adjust to."

_"Well, I have to go-Isis wants to get going. She can be as scary as Mare sometimes."_

"Alright Malik, see you on the platform." Umi closed the phone with a satisfying click. "Pack our stuff, Mare, We're going to wizard school!" she announced. Mare grinned, watching as Umi folded her clothing, and packed all her robes, instruments, and books neatly into her large trunk. Ten minutes later, Mare was watching a frustrated Umi attempting to close the trunk. "Close! Damn! Thing!" Umi grunted, jumping up and down on the lid. There was a click, and Umi quickly snapped the clasps before the thing could decide it wanted to snap open again. "THERE! Stay that way!" Umi shouted triumphantly, her long curls sticking to her forehead, held there with her sweat.

|Fix your hair before you go outside-you might scare people| Mare teased, sitting on the trunk.

Umi scowled, but walked off to shower and fix her hair. After a short while, Umi was wandering down the hall-way, dragging her trunk behind her, reading a small map.

|Where's the nearest place we can get breakfast?| Mare asked, reading over her hikari's shoulder.

-|Right by the station, there's a cafe-We can eat there, then at 10:45, we can go look for the platform.|-

|Sounds good to me-but don't they serve food here?|

-|I was gonna grab something if I felt hungry, but I don't, so I thought we should wait|-

|Whatever you like, Hikari|

-|Help me find a taxi, would ya?|-

Mare sighed. |Sure.|

She floated above the road, looking. |There, just down the road, there's an empty one, beside a taxi letting in a bunch of red-heads| Mare pointed. Umi started down the road, successfully hailing the driver. "Kings Cross, please." she said, handing the man some money. He nodded, helping her load her trunk into the back of the car. The ride to the station was relatively short, considering the amount of traffic on the roads that morning. "Thank you." Umi offered, dragging her belongings out of the taxi, and into the station. "Your very welcome, Miss." the man said, driving away.

-|Where's that cafe...?|-

|There|

-|Thanks Mare. What would I do without you?|-

|Get lost in 'muggle' London, I'm sure|

-|Oh hush up, that was rhetorical|-

Umi made her way to the shop, dragging her stuff behind her. They chose a small table in the front of the cafe, with a nice view of the street. A waitress passed her a menu, before bustling off to help another customer.

-|ooh look, they have fresh apple pie|-

|Trust you to go for the sweets|

-|Hush. They make good breakfast. However, I am going to have a small fried egg sandwich too.|-

|At least that's _somewhat_ nutritious|

-|You got it!|-

"Are you ready to order?" The same waitress asked, standing beside her table.

Umi looked up. "Yes, Can I get a slice of Apple Pie, a fried egg sandwich, and a pot of Jasmine tea?"

The waitress, Joan, according to her nametag, nodded, jotting down the order.

"Your food will arrive shortly. Would you like the pie before the eggs and tea, or after?"

"Humm...before, please."

Joan smiled. "Alright, I'll have that out for you in a moment, then, miss."

Umi smiled at the large slice of pie that was set before her by Joan. "Thank you, Joan-san." she offered, smiling at the woman.

"Your welcome, young miss. Would you like cream for your pie?" Joan asked, holding out a small bowl of whipped cream.

"Most definitely." Umi answered, eyes gleaming.

Joan set the bowl down on the table. "The rest of your order will only take a few more minutes." she informed Umi, before wandering off among the tables.

|That looks good|

-|It IS good!|- Umi exclaimed, taking a bite of warm pie smothered in whipped cream.

|Don't make yourself sick, lo-I mean, light| Mare blushed pink

-|What were you about to say?|- Umi asked, giving the spirit a quizzical look.

|Nothing, don't mind me. I just forgot my English for a moment there| she covered

Umi shrugged, turning back to the table, on which Joan had placed a steaming pot of tea, and a fresh fried egg sandwich on artisan bread. -|Yummy!|- Umi cried, before tucking in to the lovely meal.

A while later, the darkness looked up at the clock. |Umi...| Mare said in a warning tone.

-|Yes?|-

|We have to go now, hurry and finish up|

-|Alright|- Umi had eaten all of her pie, and egg, but insisted she finish the tea as well. She guzzled the last cup, and left the money on the table.

-|Lets go to wizard school!|-

|Yes lets be off|

~Break~

(This is the only part of this chapter that will really have any of the usual Yugi-ou or Harry Potter gang in it)

-|Woahhhh...red|-

|That is one very red train| Mare agreed, feeling awe rising from her light.

-|Lets go find a compartment, the train leaves at eleven sharp|-

Umi lugged her trunk up a small set of steps, and entered the first empty compartment she saw. "Ugh!" she cried, lifting her luggage into the rack above her head. "That is one heavy trunk." she complained.

|Look there...that boy has an odd scar on his head| Mare said, pointing.

-|He's covered in an odd...shell of magic too...he must be special|- Umi agreed, looking pensive.

|HEY! Look, the Yuugi-tachi!| Mare cried suddenly, distracted by Yuugi's pointed hair.

Umi smiled, and waved out the open window. "YUUGI-CHAN! OVER HERE!" she called, catching the chibi's attention. He pulled on Malik's sleeve, and dragged Ryou and the poor blonde onto the train.

"Umi-chan, how have you been?" Ryou asked, sitting beside her.

"I've been great. I had a calm vacation over in Little Winging. Boring though-tons of cookie-cutter houses."

"Well, at least you didnt have to deal with insane blue-haired freaks." Yuugi complained. "They wanted to bring back some god or something. That's why I'm not having as hard a time adjusting as Ryou- I was over in America this whole time- _less_ of a time difference, as far as I know."

There came a knock at the door of their compartment. Malik promptly stood, and pulled open the door. "Hello?" he asked, giving the two outside an apprising look.

"Hello there...um...we were wondering if we could maybe..." A black haired boy began, eyes pasted to the ground

"Could we join you? Everywhere else is full." the red-head beside him interrupted his companion.

"Of course, please, come in. I'm Umi, by the way." Umi called. Malik moved aside, allowing the two entrance. The red-head turned to Yuugi and Ryou. "Is their hair natural?" Yuugi and Ryou laughed and said that it was. "Nice to meet you, I'm Ron Weasley, and this...is Harry Potter." the red-head, Ron, introduced himself, and Harry. The hikari's said that it was a pleasure to meet them as well, except for Umi, who merely nodded, reaching up and fishing a book out of her trunk. Yuugi frowned at Ron. It looked like he had been expecting a reaction.

"Should we know who you are?" he asked, turning to the other boy, Harry

"I'm supposed to be famous." Harry shrugged. "I'm kind of glad you didnt freak out, you know. I've had that happen a few time already." he blushed at the memory.

Yuugi smiled knowingly. "Ahh fangirls and fanboys, huh? I get a lot of fan-personing too, I don't like it either."

"Yuugi's THE world champion at Duel Monsters. It's really popular in Japan." Malik spoke up.

"Who are you two?" Ron asked rudely, staring at Malik and Ryou, who had yet to introduce themselves.

Malik glared. "I'm Malik-don't cross me, or it might hurt...you."

"To counteract my Egyptian friends threatening statement, I am Ryou. In comparison to Malik, I'm a fluffy bunny." Ryou said with a smile.

"With sharp teeth..." Malik muttered under his breath, earning him a whack from Ryou.

"Only to you, Malik, and possibly to Bakura." Yuugi laughed, glancing at the pair.

"Bakura?" Ron inquired, looking about. "No-one here is called Bakura-You're Yuugi, he's Ryou, and he's Malik."

"He's our friend back home- he didnt get a letter." Yuugi covered quickly. Ron nodded, sitting. As he did so, there came a sharp rapping at the door. "Anything off the trolley, dears?" a plump woman asked, pushing a trolley loaded with sweets into view.

"We'll take the lot." Harry said, interrupting Ron's downtrodden "I'm all set," and, pulling out a handful of galleons, he proceeded to buy a bit of everything on the cart, and passing them out.

Ron's eyes were fixed on the large pile of gold, as it passed out of Harry's hands. The only one who noticed was 'Ryou', who also had been eyeing the gold. /Isn't that odd, hikari? Ron seems jealous of his friend there. / Bakura observed, allowing Ryou control.

/Maybe that was just a lot of money..?/

/Maybe, maybe not/

/Not everything is a plot or something, Kura. Relax, even _Yami_ managed to do it./

"Be careful with those beans," Ron warned. "They say every flavor, and they do _mean_ every flavor" Yuugi gave the beans a suspicious look, before passing them to Malik, who took one gleefully.

He chewed once, and then spat the bean into his palm. "I think...that was...diet soda..." he choked." Ron frowned.

"Honestly, that's not one of the worse ones in there, Malik. My brothers reckon they got a boogie flavored one once."

Malik shivered, and closed the bag. "How the heck do these people make money, if the food is so...repulsive?"

"Magic." Yuugi...or was it Yami? said with a grin. One could never really tell these days. The pharaoh had indeed mellowed out a lot since battle city. Bakura suspected it had something to do with Yami's confession to Yuugi. This thought got him a mental glare and an exasperated 'Kuraaa...' from Ryou, however.

"Would you like a sweet, Umi?" Harry asked, moving over to sit beside the brunette. Umi looked up from her book with a scowl. "What the hell do you want! I'm in a good part, too!"

Yuugi turned to Harry, grinning. "I should have told you not to bug her-she's totally out of it when she's reading. And her temper flares when she's interrupted."

"Sorry, I was just offering you a pasty..." he trailed off.

Umi frowned, then gave him a small smile. "Thank you for the...courtesy. If you would allow me..." and with that, she returned to her novel. The compartment was silent for the better part of an hour, before a bushy haired girl opened the door with a _clack_. "What can we do for you?" Malik asked, turning to face her.

"I'm Hermione Granger. Nice to meet you. Have any of you seen a toad?"

Umi glanced up. "Do you know its name?"

"Um...Trevor, I believe." Hermione answered, confused.

Umi stood, pointing her wand into the hallway. "_Accio Trevor the Toad_" she intoned. A few seconds later, a large, warty toad, flew into the compartment, and onto Umi's waiting hand.

"Here you are, one Trevor the toad." she said, holding the creature out to Hermione, who looked shell-shocked. Everyone else was either doing what they had been doing (this was Malik, Ryou, and Yuugi) or were staring at the girl in much the same way.

"How did you do that? I thought you were muggle-born first years, since you didnt know about Harry Potter, but that's advanced magic for a _first year_!" Ron asked, covering his ears as Hermione squealed. 'Teach me!'

"I read ahead. If you want to learn, I'd say you should do the same." Umi said, bored already, and returned to her seat, and resumed reading her book, for the second time.

-|Stupid teenagers, interrupting me while I'm reading!|-

|Lest you forget, you're a 'stupid teenager' yourself|

-|I was never that dumb-I'm happy you want to be the best, I want to show these _wizards_ the right way to learn|-

|As in, actually _reading_ the textbook before school?|

-|Exactly!|-

|Most people don't do that...|

-|Obviously, they ought to.|-

|Yes, apparently...|

"Who are you?" came the voice of the girl...Hermione.

Umi glared. "I should kick your ass for interrupting me. I would _like_ to read my book."

"Umm...Umi, ass kicking should be kept at a minimum, unless you want to endanger your book..." Yuugi called.

|What is it with you and taking your anger out on innocent objects nearby?|

Umi glanced at her book...and found that she had torn a few of the pages. "Damnit!" she shouted, carefully placing the book back into her trunk, marking the page. "I'm Umi, and if you don't want me to harm you, I think you should leave."

Hermione skittered out of the compartment quickly, and they returned to their silence.

~Break~

When they began closing in on Hogwarts, Umi dragged her trunk to a separate compartment to change into her robes.

"See you at Sorting." she called out, closing the door carefully.

|I wonder which house we'll get into?|

-|I don't mind, as long as it's _not_ the same house as that Hermione girl|-

|Perhaps Hufflepuff? Or Ravenclaw?|

-|Gryfindor...doesnt sound appealing, and Slytherin...has a bad rap, so those are out. Out of the other two...I'd say, Ravenclaw|-

|Yes, smart, so we'd be with peers, and the best place to study in peace. No prejudices between houses to deal with.|

-|Sounds like our kind of place.|-

|Now, to convince that hat...|

The train made a mechanical sound as they pulled into the station, stopping slowly. Umi left her trunk, flinging an extra cloak, one with a hood, around her shoulders.

-|We're here, Mare-chan. Hogwarts!|-

"FIRS' YEARS! OVER HERE!" a tall, bearded man shouted. She shrugged, going over to stand beside the growing line of wizard kids.

"Climb in, only three ta a boat, yell be getting ya first sight o' Hogwarts jus over tha ridge."

The teens clambered into the wooden boats, which immediately set off in a north-easterly course across the lake. The view of the castle was spectacular. The lights in all the windows cast gold onto the lake surface, and they glowed like gems from their place in the walls, Turrets reached up to brush the clouds, and the gates stood open and inviting. As they disembarked, Umi noticed a tiny boat-house on the water, with a covered flight of steps going down to it from the castle.

_'Interesting...'_

The large man led them up the steps to the door, where the first years waited impatiently for someone named 'Professor McGonagall. Umi assumed that this was the same woman who had written her the letter. Several first years were whispering among themselves about the sorting. The quieted when the imposing Prof. McGonagall entered, explaining some rules and what-have you, before leading them into the great hall. Umi swore she heard Hermione whispering behind her, and scowled. The Prof began reading out names that Umi really didnt pay attention to, until she heard 'Bakura, Ryou'. She watched his sorting, (Slytherin), as well as Malik's, (Slytherin), before her name was called; 'Kagamine, Umimare'. -_Ah, two souls, just like that young Slytherin...Not as much ambition as the boy Malik, a thirst for knowledge from you both...I'd say_"RAVENCLAW!-"

The Ravenclaws cheered, welcoming Umi to their table. The last of the first years were sorted, Yuugi to Hufflepuff, Ron and Harry to Gryffindor. Then the headmaster stood. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts. There is a time for speech-making, but this is not it. I only have four words for you before we eat- Nitwit, oddment, blubber, and tweak."

And with that, food rose into the dishes, much to the amazement of the first-years. Umi smiled, and dug in with gusto.

After the last bites of food vanished from the plates, the headmaster once again stood.

"I would like to inform you all that the list of banned items, which can be found outside of Mr. Filch's office, has been extended to include fanged-Frisbees. Also, the Forrest on the grounds is strictly forbidden, as is the third-floor-corridor on the right hand side, to all who do not wish to die a painful death. Will the prefects please lead their first years to the dormitories? I bid you all goodnight."

The prefects, standing, called the first-years to them, taking them along the quickest route, informing them of little things ("These stair-cases like to change") and generally filling them in on need-to know information. They stopped outside the portrait of an eagle on the third floor. "Password is Egyptian." the prefect said, as the picture swung open to admit them.

"Boys dormitories are up those stairs, and to the left, girls, the same to the right. You will find that your belongings have already been brought up" he said, before turning up the steps himself.

Umi sat herself on her bed, the curtains on her new four-poster bed closed tightly, while she held a conversation with Mare.

-|That was a wonderful meal|- Umi said, contented.

|Yes, it was. Aren't you excited to start classes tomorrow?|

-|I'm ecstatic|-

|I can tell|

-|I only wonder what I'm going to do when I finish my homework early|-Umi said with a grin.

|I saw you looking at that boathouse-we should explore the grounds if we have time|

-|Then it's a date, Mare-chan|-

Mare blushed. |A…date...?|

-|Are you blushing? I knew you liked me!|-

|You _knew_!|

-|Of course, I'm not dense, Mare, no matter how stupid I act.|-

|Do you..?|

-|I'm only bringing this up now, because I finally figured out how I feel.|-

|Umi...|

-|I love you too, Mare|-

|Umi...do you really mean that?|

-|Shut up and kiss me, damnit|-

And Mare complied.

~Break~

Umi wandered out of the dormitory the next morning wiping sleep from her eyes. As such, she didnt see the couple walking in front of her, whom she promptly stumbled into, knocking the girl over. The taller boy caught the girl by the waist, and set her upright. Umi, who had landed on her butt, stuttered an apology to the 6th year standing over her. Unconsciously, she flinched as he extended a hand to her. He instantly looked hurt. "Do you need a hand up?" he asked, holding is hand out farther. Umi blushed, and took the hand. He carefully pulled her upright, setting her on her feet again. The girl beside him grinned.

"Don't mind Alex, he's scary looking, but he wont hurt you." she teased. "I'm Sinead, 6th year. Welcome to Ravenclaw."

Umi smiled. "I'm Umi, it's nice to meet you Sinead, Alex." she said, brushing off her robes. She gave the pair a cursory glance. Sinead was tall, not nearly as tall as Alex, but still a bit taller than Umi. She had cropped purple hair, and pale purple eyes. She was wearing the uniform set of robes, and a pair of designer boots with pale white leather tops, and ebon soles. Alex was tall, even for a 6th year. He had tanned skin, black hair that brushed the tops of his ears, and dark brown eyes. He did _not_ wear the uniform robes. Instead, he wore a pair of black pants, and a tight fitting blue robe with a red and gold Chinese dragon detailed on the back.

"Won't you get in trouble for wearing that outfit?" Umi asked, admiring the dragon on the back.

He shook his head. "The teachers like me, they won't tell me off." Sinead held back a laugh.

"No, Alex, it's more like their afraid to tell you to change." she teased. "You don't only scare first-years, you know."

"I wasn't scared!" Umi protested. "I was startled, is all!"

Instantly, the hurt look that had remained on Alex's face turned into a huge, glowing smile, which Umi immediately likened to the sun. Sinead, noticing the change, grinned, and, catching Alex's hand, announced. "We're going to breakfast, Umi!" and Umi followed after the two, giggling. Their head teacher passed along the schedules during the breakfast hour.

"We have classes with the Hufflepuffs." Sinead said from her right, looking over Umi's list of classes. "You're going to see Prof. McGonagall first, then Prof. Sprout, then Prof. Snape -he hates everyone but his own house, tread carefully with him- than Prof. Quirrel, and then Prof. Binns, then at the end of the day, the care of magical creatures Prof...I can't recall his name." She informed the first year, pointing out the teachers at the head table. "Lunch is after Defense, and Dinner is after CoMC." Alex added from her left, scooping eggs onto his plate. Umi nodded mouth full of toast. Then she smiled, and looked over at Alex.

"Thanks Alex-kun." she said. "And to you too, Sinead-chan, for helping me."

"No problem, we were first years once, we understand your disoriented and _way_ out of your element here." Sinead said, hugging Umi. Umi giggled, and hugged her back.

"Join the hug, Alex-kun!" Umi said, laughing as he enveloped the both of them in a huge bear-hug. The teachers stood, and the students were told to go to their classes. Sinead and Alex went one way together, and Umi walked the other way to her Transfiguration class. She was the first person in her class to transform the matchstick into a needle-on her first try, earning her house twenty points. After that came herbology, outside in the greenhouses, where they studied the various magical plants inside. Here she had a chance to talk to Yuugi.

"Yuugi-chan, how did you like Transfiguration?" she asked, looking over her plant she was drawing.

Yuugi looked up from his picture. "I like it. Congrats, by the way, on your needle."

"Thanks. Mare wanted us to be the best student here, and I would have studied before anyways."

"I'd expect nothing less from she-who-beat-Yugi-ou-in-a-fair-game. Can I see your picture?"

Umi nodded, passing her sketchpad over. "I thought I did pretty well-I was always a fair artist."

Yuugi nodded, looking over the picture appraisingly. "It's pretty good, Umi-chan. But from where I stand, I can say you missed a leaf in this part of the plant...here." He said, marking the spot with his pencil. Umi took back the pad, and drew in the leaf. "Thanks Yu-chan." she said absently, grabbing her colored pencils from her bag. Yuugi returned to his art, and they lapsed back into silence. Following after was Potions, where they were bombarded with random questions by the pisssed off Professor, which ended up taking the whole class. By the time Defense was halfway over, Umi's stomach was beginning to protest the lack of food in her class. So she was relived when class was finally over, and she could run down to lunch. She spotted Alex and Sinead, and plopped herself beside them.

"Hello Sinead-chan, Alex-kun!"

Sinead grinned, turning to Umi.

"Hey there Umi!" she said. "How did your first classes go?"

"Fine, I earned us twenty points in Transfiguration!" she announced proudly, serving herself potatoes and chicken.

"Wow, great-I forgot to tell you about the house cup. Slytherin has won it every year, but if we try hard in Quidditch, maybe we can win it this year." Sinead said.

"I'm on our Quidditch team-beater." Alex said, taking a gulp of pumpkin juice. "If you ask me, I'd say we have a pretty good chance of winning this year. We had tryouts today, right after our first classes, and I was pleased with the talent that made it on the team this year."

"Alex is the team captain of our Quidditch team, Umi." Sinead said in a stage whisper. Umi giggled.

"I'm looking forward to History of Magic-I read the book, and it sounds interesting." she said, taking a bite of food. Sinead choked with laughter.

"Oops, I need to warn you- HoM is really just nap time, the teacher's a ghost, and he makes it so incredibly boring."

Umi frowned. "Why do they let him teach if he's a ghost?"

"We think its Dumbledore being kind to the poor man." Sinead said thoughtfully. Alex nodded his agreement. Umi 'humm'ed and pulled a book from her bag, her HoM text- and proceeded to read it again. "What the heck are you doing, Umi? I thought you said you read that already?"

"I'm reading it again so I can ask as many questions as possible-I want to wake that damn ghost up." her annoyed tone counteracted by the half-grin on her face.

Sinead looked puzzled, and looked at Alex, who shrugged. At that second, Ryou walked up behind Umi. "Umi-chan, reading your text books over again?" he asked, sitting beside her.

"Oh, hey Ryou, you're lucky I wasn't into this book yet..." she trailed off angrily. Ryou flinched.

"I'm glad you weren't...you're scary when that happens."

"Sinead-chan, Alex-kun, meet Ryou, my friend. We meet in Domino, Japan, our hometown." Umi said to the pair.

"Nice to meet you." they chorused.

"Nice to make your acquaintance. Umi-chan, I'll see you at dinner, I need to gather up some books from the library." and with that, Ryou vanished into the hall.

"I don't understand why that boy didnt make it into Ravenclaw...he sounds like grade-A material." Sinead wondered aloud.

"He's had...a darker past. It makes sense to those of us who know him."

Alex and Sinead looked at each other again, shrugged, and resumed eating.

-|I wonder what he wanted...That was a hint for us|-

|Maybe there's an issue with Bakura? The thief might have been an arse, koi.|

-|That _could_ be it...but...|-

|We can ask him later

-|Yes. We will surely do that|-

|Are you worried?|

-|Very. It's not like Ryou to come to _me_ when he needs something.|-

|Yeah, one would think he'd go to Malik-they're even in he same house.|

-|I think we should..._investigate_ the other Slytherins|-

|You think they might be the cause?|

-|Face it, Ryou has an issue with attracting bullies.|-

|The thief would-|

-|Ryou wouldn't let him do anything to them, he's to kind|-

|That will be their downfall one of these days|

The teachers at the head table stood, and the students moved away for their classes. Umi, pretending to be absorbed by the book, waved absently to Sinead and Alex as she walked to Prof. Binns class.

It proved that Umi's plan failed, because the Prof. ignored (or simply didnt see) her hand, so she spent the entire class napping, or reading the textbook over again, which was less boring than listening to the teacher drone on. The class passed slowly, but eventually, Umi shook out her legs, which had fallen asleep, and trekked down to the CoMC class on the grounds. As the light dimmed, and the sun set behind the forest, casting a variety of reds, yellows, oranges, pinks and purples into the sky, the first year Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws hurried into the castle for dinner.

Sitting in her dormitory late that night after completing her homework, Umi picked up her drawing pad, and pencil, and sketched out people, places and things she'd seen that day.

|I love your art, Umi|

-|Thank you...did you know that you were the first person I drew?|-

|Really? I'm honored that you chose me| Mare said with a smile.

After a few minutes, Umi set her sketches aside with a sigh.

-|I'm going to bed, Mare. Oyasumi|-

|Oyasumi, koi.|

Umi drew the curtains shut around her four-poster, and snuggled under the blankets


	2. Chapter 2

I added 2 chapters together in this one, in hopes to make up for my lateness in getting this out.

~your authoress

Transfer of Magic

Chapter two

_Weeks before the train leaves for Hogwarts..._

Inside a nondescript apartment on the third level, an owl was flying at a window. The room the bird was trying to get into was as boring and normal as the rest of the house had appeared from the outside. The walls were painted blue, the floor was a spotless white carpet, and the bed, though it had an occupant, looked clean and neat, with white bedside table on either side. The person was a white haired, feminine boy wearing a blue t-shirt, and silky blue pants. On his chest, around his neck, was a huge golden pendant. It was a large ring of gold, with a flat pyramid in the center, sporting the Eye of Horus. There were seven little pointers dangling off the bottom part of the gold ring that clinked whenever the boy moved.

_Tap Tap Tap_

The white haired person groaned from their place under the sheets, cracking open one green eye.

/Bakura...make it go away.../

/How do you want me to go about doing that, Ryou? /

/However you like. /

Bakura cheered silently, getting some much needed time outside the ring.

/Shadow Realm for you, bird!/ he cackled.

Ryou sighed, curling back up under the blankets, trying to get back to sleep with Bakura laughing insanely beside him.

/Ryou, the bird was carrying a letter...It dropped it on the floor before I sent it to the Shadows./

Ryou made a loud, exasperated noise, glaring at the clock beside his bed, which read 7:00 am.

/Bakura...read the damn thing if you must, but don't destroy it until after I'm coherent enough to read it before you do./

/Gotcha, Ryou./

Of course, Bakura, being the snoop he was, _had_ to read the letter, and so he did.

_Albus Dumbledore (Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf, Supreme Mugwump, International Confederation of Wizards) _

_Dear Mr. R. Bakura: _

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in England. The list of supplies has everything you will be needing for your school year. Supplies can be bought in Diagon Alley, situated behind the Leaky Cauldron. The Hogwarts Express leaves Kings Cross September 1st from platform 9 3/4. We will be expecting your owl no later than August31st. _

_Minerva McGonagall  
Deputy Headmistress _

_Minerva McGonagall_

Bakura frowned at the letter, checking the address on the front.

_Ryou Bakura_

_The neat apartment_

_2nd street_

_Domino City_

_Japan_

/Hikari.../

~Break~

Ryou stepped out into the blinding sunlight outside the London airport. Blinking to adjust his eyes, he waved for a taxi.

/Ryou, where are we staying? It better not be that hovel Yuugi wrote us about, The Leaky Cauldron! /

/Bakura, that place is probably full of vermin, no-one in their right mind would _stay_ in one of those rooms!/

That night, across the city, a not so sane person attempted just that.

[Hikari-pretty, that man is giving us odd looks!]

[|Marik, Shut up, or you won't be getting any.|]

[But Hikari-pretty-] Marik said, stroking his light's hair.

[|NO! I'm getting a room, and _you_ are staying in your soul room tonight.|]

"Hi, I'd like to rent a room for the night, please?" Malik asked, placing some money (galleons, as he had stolen some from nearby wizards) on the counter.

"There's only one room left, the Weasley's booked all the rest. You're lucky kid." the barman said conversationally.

[|Who the heck are the Weasley's?|]

[Beats me]

"Thank you. If you could show me to my room? I'm very tired." the man nodded, and led the light down the hall, and to a shabby room.

[Hikari-pretty, why are you being so _nice_?]

[|Catch more flies with honey than vinegar.|]

[What?]

[|Never mind...|]

~Break~

Yuugi stumbled upon the barrier between the platforms by accident, for the boy had managed to trip over thin air, and sprawl face-first through it. Once inside, after a mental glare at Yami, who was laughing at his hikari's misfortune, Yuugi found Ryou and Malik, who were gazing at the train in awe. "Ryou! Malik!" the boy called, waving his arms at the pair.

"Hey chibi." Malik greeted, poking Yuugi's spikes in what could be called an affectionate manner.

Ryou smiled that the shorter boy. "Hello Yuugi-kun." he said in a soft voice.

"YUUGI-CHAN! OVER HERE!" A familiar voice called, catching the chibi's attention. He pulled on Malik's sleeve, and dragged Ryou and Malik onto the train.

"Umi-chan, how have you been?" Ryou asked, sitting beside her.

"I've been great. I had a calm vacation over in Little Winging. Boring though-tons of cookie-cutter houses."

"Well, at least you didnt have to deal with insane blue-haired freaks." Yuugi complained. "They wanted to bring back some god or something. That's why I'm not having as hard a time adjusting as Ryou- I was over in America this whole time- _less_ of a time difference, as far as I know."

There came a knock at the door of their compartment. Malik promptly stood, and pulled open the door. "Hello?" he asked, giving the two outside an appraising look.

"Hello there...um...we were wondering if we could maybe..." A black haired boy began, eyes pasted to the ground

"Could we join you? Everywhere else is full." the red-head beside him interrupted his companion.

"Of course, please, come in. I'm Umi, by the way." Umi called. Malik moved aside, allowing the two entrance. The red-head turned to Yuugi and Ryou. "Is their hair natural?" Yuugi and Ryou laughed and said that it was. "Nice to meet you, I'm Ron Weasly, and this...is Harry Potter." the red-head, Ron, introduced himself, and Harry. The hikari's said that it was a pleasure to meet them as well, except for Umi, who merely nodded, reaching up and fishing a book out of her trunk. Yuugi frowned at Ron. It looked like he had been expecting a reaction.

"Should we know who you are?" he asked, turning to the other boy, Harry

"I'm supposed to be famous." Harry shrugged. "I'm kind of glad you didnt freak out, you know. I've had that happen a few times already." he blushed at the memory.

Yuugi smiled knowingly. "Ahh fangirls and fanboys, huh? I get a lot of fan-personing too, I don't like it either."

"Yuugi's THE world champion at Duel Monsters. It's really popular in Japan." Malik spoke up.

"Who are you two?" Ron asked rudely, staring at Malik and Ryou, who had yet to introduce themselves.

Malik glared. "I'm Malik-don't cross me, or it might hurt...you."

"To counteract my Egyptian friends threatening statement, I am Ryou. In comparison to Malik, I'm a fluffy bunny." Ryou said with a smile.

"With sharp teeth..." Malik muttered under his breath, earning him a whack from Ryou.

"Only to you, Malik, and possibly to Bakura." Yuugi laughed, glancing at the pair.

"Bakura?" Ron inquired, looking about. "No-one here is called Bakura-You're Yuugi, he's Ryou, and he's Malik."

"He's our friend back home- he didnt get a letter." Yuugi covered quickly. Ron nodded, sitting. As he did so, there came a sharp rapping at the door. "Anything off the trolley, dears?" a plump woman asked, pushing a trolley loaded with sweets into view.

"We'll take the lot." Harry said, interrupting Ron's downtrodden "I'm all set," and, pulling out a handful of galleons, he proceeded to buy a bit of everything on the cart, and passing them out.

Ron's eyes were fixed on the large pile of gold, as it passed out of Harry's hands. The only one who noticed was 'Ryou', who also had been eyeing the gold. His eyes glazed a bit as he argued with his darkness.

"Be careful with those beans," Ron warned. "They say every flavor, and they do _mean_ every flavor" Yuugi gave the beans a suspicious look, before passing them to Malik, who took one gleefully.

He chewed once, and then spat the bean into his palm. "I think...that was...diet soda..." he choked." Ron frowned.

"Honestly, that's not one of the worse ones in there, Malik. My brothers reckon they got a boogie flavored one once."

Malik shivered, and closed the bag. "How the heck do these people make money, if the food is so...repulsive?"

"Magic." Yuugi...or was it Yami? said with a grin. Malik could never really tell these days. The pharaoh had indeed mellowed out a lot since battle city. Yuugi was grateful, he wasn't picking fights with the thief and guardian as much, and thus, there were fewer threats to his life.

"Would you like a sweet, Umi?" Harry asked, moving over to sit beside the brunette. Umi looked up from her book with a scowl. "What the hell do you want! I'm in a good part, too!"

Yuugi turned to Harry, grinning. "I should have told you not to bug her-she's totally out of it when she's reading. And her temper flares when she's interrupted."

"Sorry, I was just offering you a pasty…" he trailed off.

Umi frowned, then gave him a small smile. "Thank you for the...courtesy. If you would allow me..." and with that, she returned to her novel. The compartment was silent for the better part of an hour, before a bushy haired girl opened the door with a _clack_. "What can we do for you?" Malik asked, turning to face her.

"I'm Hermione Granger, nice to meet you. Have any of you seen a toad?"

Umi glanced up. "Do you know its name?"

"Um...Trevor, I believe." Hermione answered, confused.

Umi stood, pointing her wand into the hallway. "_Accio Trevor the Toad_" she intoned. A few seconds later, a large, warty toad, flew into the compartment, and onto Umi's waiting hand.

"Here you are, one Trevor the toad." she said, holding the creature out to Hermione, who looked shell-shocked. Everyone else was either doing what they had been doing (this was Malik, Ryou, and Yuugi) or were staring at the girl in much the same way.

"How did you do that? I thought you were muggle-born first years, since you didnt know about Harry Potter, but that's advanced magic for a _first year_!" Ron asked, covering his ears as Hermione squealed. 'Teach me!'

"I read ahead. If you want to learn, I'd say you should do the same." Umi said, bored already, and returned to her seat, and resumed reading her book, for the second time.

Though Umi insisted she'd like to read her book, Yuugi noticed that she was communicating with Mare, instead of actually reading. From the faint pissed expression on her face, Mare was not helping Umi's annoyed mood.

"Who are you?" Hermione asked, leaning over Umi's book.

Umi glared. "I should kick your ass for interrupting me. I would _like_ to read my book."

"Umm...Umi, ass kicking should be kept at a minimum, unless you want to endanger your book..." Yuugi called.

{What is it with her and taking her anger out on nearby objects?}Yami observed, watching as Umi crushed her book in her hands, before looking down at it in alarm

"Damnit!" Umi shouted, carefully placing the book back into her trunk, marking the page. "I'm Umi, and if you don't want me to harm you, I think you should leave."

Hermione skittered out of the compartment quickly, and they returned to their silence.

~Break~

When they began closing in on Hogwarts, Umi dragged her trunk to a separate compartment to change into her robes.

"See you at Sorting." she called out, closing the door carefully.

"What house do you think you'll be in?" Yuugi asked, turning to Malik and Ryou.

"Knowing my luck, I'll get Slytherin." Ryou groaned.

Malik's face fell. "What if my...experience...affects my house?" He breathed.

This gained him a pair of odd looks from Ron and Harry.

Yuugi backed him up, saying "Malik's father was abusive; he's done some things he regrets due to his father's influence."

Harry nodded his head, giving Malik an understanding glance. Ron just looked confused, though he dropped the subject.

~Break~

"FIRS' YEARS! OVER HERE!" a tall, bearded man shouted. Yuugi shrugged, going over to stand beside the growing line of wizard kids with Malik and Ryou. Umi was already near the head of the line.

"Climb in, only three ta a boat, yell be getting ya first sight o' Hogwarts jus over tha ridge."

The teens clambered into the wooden boats, which immediately set off in a north-easterly course across the lake. The view of the castle was spectacular. The lights in all the windows cast gold onto the lake surface, and they glowed like gems from their place in the walls, Turrets reached up to brush the clouds, and the gates stood open and inviting. As they disembarked, Yuugi nearly tripped over his robes, and was caught by Ryou...Bakura, oddly enough, who set him on his feet.

The large man led them up the steps to the door, where the first years waited impatiently for someone named 'Professor McGonagall. Several first years were whispering among themselves about the sorting. They quieted when the imposing Prof. McGonagall entered, explaining some rules and what-have you, before leading them into the great hall. Bakura swore she heard Hermione whispering behind him, and frowned. He didn't like the girl any more than Umi seemed to. The Prof began reading out names that Yuugi really didnt pay attention to, until he heard 'Bakura, Ryou'. He watched his sorting, (Slytherin), as well as Malik's, (Slytherin), and Umi's (Ravenclaw) before his name was called. -_Ah, two souls, just like that Ravenclaw, and that pair of young Slytherins...Not much ambition, friendship is important to both of you...I'd say _"Hufflepuff!"-

The Hufflepuffs cheered, welcoming Yuugi to their table. The last of the first years were sorted, the hat sending Ron and Harry to Gryffindor. Then the headmaster stood. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts. There is a time for speech-making, but this is not it. I only have four words for you before we eat- Nitwit, oddment, blubber, and tweak."

And with that, food rose into the dishes, much to the amazement of the first-years. The hikari's smiled, and dug in with gusto.

After the last bites of food vanished from the plates, the headmaster once again stood.

"I would like to inform you all that the list of banned items, which can be found outside of Mr. Filch's office, has been extended to include fanged-Frisbees. Also, the Forrest on the grounds is strictly forbidden, as is the third-floor-corridor on the right hand side, to all who do not wish to die a painful death. Will the prefects please lead their first years to the dormitories? I bid you all goodnight."

The prefects, standing, called the first-years to them, taking them along the quickest routes to Dorms, informing them of little things ("These stair-cases like to change") and generally filling them in on need-to know information. Ryou and Malik's group stopped outside of an archway in the dungeons. "Password is King." the prefect said, as the arch slid open to admit them.

"Boys dormitories are up those stairs, and to the left, girls, the same to the right. You will find that your belongings have already been brought up" he said, before turning up the steps himself.

~Break~

Transfer of Magic

Chapter three

"Rise and shine, Umi!" Sinead called, jerking opens the curtains of Umi's four-poster bed. They were a good few weeks into the school year, and Umi had very quickly discovered that Sinead had a liking for waking "Rise and shine, Umi!" Sinead said, pulling back the curtains on Umi's bed. They were a good few weeks into the school year, and Umi had discovered quickly that Sinead had a liking for waking her up early on weekends. "Ughhhh...Sinead...go awayyy..." Umi groaned, rolling away from the light.

"Umiiii don't make me get Alex..." she threatened playfully. "HE'D pour water on you, I just open your curtains."

"Boy's...can't...come up...the...steps..." Umi groaned, pulling the sheets up over her head.

Sinead frowned. This was indeed true-while the girls could safely travel up the steps to the boy's rooms; the boys couldn't go higher than the third step on the girls' stair before it turned into a slide, and booted them back down.

"If you promise to let me sleep for ten more minutes, I'll get up then, and come down stairs with you." Umi mumbled into her pillow. Sinead laughed.

"You've _had_ your ten minutes, Umi, that's how long it took me to get you to speak in complete sentences."

Umi groaned, but slowly extracted herself from the bed-sheets. "It's a Hogsmeade weekend, isn't it? That's why you're so...energetic." She said, pulling on her muggle clothes-a pair of black straight-leg jeans, a tight black under-shirt, and a colorful green, yellow and pink gratified black off-the-shoulder tee, and throwing a black hooded cloak on, clasping it about her throat. When she had finished dressing, Umi pulled out a brush to tame her wild brown hair.

"Braid it for me, Sinead-nee?" she asked, holding her brush out to the purple haired witch.

"Sit, you." she ordered, motioning to the bed. Umi sat Indian-style on the sheets, allowing Sinead to play around with her hair, plaiting it into a long braid.

|You still haven't made good on your threat to investigate the Slytherins. I'm worried for Ryou.|

-|I _will_. After Halloween.|-

|Why then? I thought you were worried!|

-|His twin sister, and his mother _died_ before Halloween. He's mopey this time of year. That could be all this is.|-

|I feel so bad for him...is that why he lives alone? Where's his father?|

-|His father's at lots of digs in Egypt, he's almost never home. I'd bet you a galleon he doesn't even know Ryou's here.|-

|What a careless father!|

"You're all set, Umi. Now let's get breakfast!" Sinead chimed. Umi smiled, and followed the purple-eyed girl out of the dorm.

"Morning Alex-nii!" Umi chirped as the trio strolled down to breakfast. "Did you have a nice sleep?"

Alex shrugged. "I didnt sleep, I was too busy talking to Sinead. I really love her..."

Umi frowned. "Sinead-nee, didnt you try to make him sleep?"

"I did, but since he couldn't come tuck me in, he insisted in staying up until I fell asleep in their dorm..."

"Alexxxx-niii! Are you sure you're a sixth year?" Umi teased, plopping onto the bench between the two sixth years.

"Of course, little sis. That's why I'm taller than you." Alex returned playfully.

Umi made a growling noise in the back of her throat. "You mock the height!" she breathed. "You mock it!" and with that, she fell out of place, laughing fit to burst.

Alex, who had gotten used to this sort of thing by now, lifted her back into her seat before to many people could notice.

"Umi, drink some pumpkin juice, and calm down." Sinead said, handing her a goblet, which Umi took, still shaking slightly.

After taking a few sips, she was no longer shaking like a little purse-dog. "Halloween is next week, right?" she asked, looking up at Alex.

"Yeah, there's a huge feast Halloween night. It looks _awesome_ in here when they're done decorating." Sinead said, seeing Alex's mouth was full of bacon.

"I love Halloween, and my friend, Ryou-you've met him- loves it more, he's totally into the occult." she announced, grinning.

"I just hope nothing bad happens..." Sinead said worriedly. "I had divination yesterday, and the Prof. said that something bad would happen this year..."

Alex drew Sinead into a hug, and kissed her full on the lips. "I'm sure we'll be fine, Sinead. I'll protect you if something happens."

Umi grinned. -|They make such a cute couple|-

|That they do, koi|

-|What do you think of the Prof.'s prediction?|-

|Load of bull- I've heard people say that she's a fraud.|

-|I don't know...Every time we think we're in the clear, something happens to us|-

|We're in the safest place in the Wizard-World, what could possibly go wrong?|

-|When someone says that in a manga, something _always_ goes wrong.|-

|This isn't a manga, Umi...|

~Break~

The night of the Halloween feast, Umi was devouring the awesome meal prepared by the Hogwarts house-elves. Sinead and Alex had gotten into a row yesterday, and had yet to make up. Neither had seen her all day, though they had heard she was hiding out in one of the bathrooms on the second floor. Umi didn't know what they'd fought about, but it had been very personal to Sinead, and Alex had been reluctant to talk about it.

"I'm thinking we should go look for her..." Umi said. "I'm worried..."

"I'm concerned too...let's go find her!" Alex said, standing quickly. Suddenly, the defense Professor, Quirrel, ran into the Great Hall, shouting "Trolls! In the dungeons! Thought you ought to know...!" before fainting away. There was an enormous clatter as students, yelling, scrambled to look for hiding places, knocking Umi to the ground. Alex moved quickly, pulling Umi to his side to prevent her from being trampled by the other students. Professor Dumbledore stood.

"SILENCE!"

The students froze where they were.

"Prefects will escort the students back to their dormitories. There will be _no_ detours." he ordered, "Teachers, follow me to the dungeons, if you will."

Umi looked at Alex, a question written all over her face.

"We're going to find Sinead." he said, fire burning in his black eyes. He was afraid for her-would do anything to keep her safe.

"I'm right behind you, Alex-nii." she said firmly.

The pair walked out of the Great Hall with their prefect, before breaking off to search for the purple-haired witch.

"The second floor girl's bathroom is over there." Umi pointed down a dark corridor. The two headed to the bathroom, when an unmistakable scent reached their noses. "What..._is_...that...?" Umi choked, covering her nose.

"That's the scent of a Mountain Troll...I don't think it's in the dungeons anymore..."

"Wait...Sinead-nee's on this floor, Alex-nii...and the bathrooms are over by the..." Before Umi could finish her sentence, Alex caught what she was implying, and rushed forward to the bathroom. Umi groaned, and followed close behind. By the time they had reached the bathroom, Sinead was cornered by the Troll, and for some reason, shouting rude things about its mother.

|That's Sinead for you, I guess.|

Umi didn't take the time to reply, for the Troll had lost interest in Sinead, mostly because she was far too loud, and was heading for the door...and Umi. She let out a cry, collapsing to a sitting position as her legs gave out suddenly. The Troll seemed to have had enough of the loud people in the bathroom, for it just took a swing at her with its club, missing most of her, but grazing her cheek, leaving a bleeding scrape. As it swung again, Alex grabbed Sinead and Umi, and carried them out of the bathroom, where the Troll stared stupidly at a bunch of broken sinks.

"What do you say we go back to the common room...?" Umi said weakly, staring back at the bathroom door.

"I'd rather go kill that thing." Alex said, shoulders shaking in anger and glaring daggers at the Troll as it lumbered out of the destroyed bathroom. He put the two girls down, Umi sitting against the wall, legs turned to jelly, and Sinead, looking a bit afraid, for all the yelling and insulting she had done. Then he walked determinedly over to the Troll, and followed it out of sight. A few minutes, and several loud noises later, Alex came back into view, totally unscathed.

"_Now_ we can go back to the dorm-after we see Madam Pomfrey, that is." he announced. Umi stood shakily, but sat down rather fast, not trusting her legs to carry her very far. Sinead stood, and grabbed hold of Umi's hands, pulling her upright, and draping her arm across her shoulders.

"It didn't hit your legs, did it?" she asked, concerned.

Umi shook her head. "No...but I feel like a jelly-candy..." Alex wrapped his arm around her waist, lifting her up higher off the ground, and in this fashion, the three made their way to the infirmary.

From behind a door, a blonde head peaked out, smirking.

"The Jelly-legs jinx is so helpful...If only the Troll had been faster, I could have knocked out two rivals at once." her girly voice traveled in the now empty corridor

~Break~

When they reached the infirmary, they discovered that the matron had gone off with the other teachers. The hospital wing was dark and deserted.

Sinead and Alex sat Umi on one of the beds, before Alex went off to look for large bandages, antiseptic, and cotton-balls. Sinead sat on the bed across from Umi, frowning.

"What's wrong Sinead-nee?" Umi asked, looking over at her.

"My little tiff with Alex got you hurt Umi, I'm sorry."

"Hey, worse has happened to me than a scrape on the face, nee-chan."

Sinead smiled at her. "Thank you, Umi."

Umi grinned. "That's what I'm here for."

Alex returned, arms loaded with bandages. "Umi, can you walk yet?" he asked, setting the stuff down beside her. Umi placed her feet on the ground, gingerly putting her weight on them. She took a couple cautious steps, and it became apparent that her legs were fine now, if a bit wobly. Alex looked angry, for some reason.

"What's wrong, Alex?" Sinead asked, coming over to stand beside him.

"Someone cast a Jelly-legs jinx on Umi when we were in that bathroom. It was delibrate-whoever did it wanted the troll to hurt her."

"Why would someone do that? She didn't do anything..." Sinead said.

"Actually...I've seen this girl following Sinead around...I thought she was in one of your classes, and dismissed it...but she came up to me right before Defense today, and told me not to tell you that I'd seen her. It was weird, and I told her I wouldn't keep things from you guys, that you were my friends...She was about to hit me, but then the bell rang, the classes let out. She vanished into the crowd after that." Umi said, opening a bandage.

A flash of recognition crossed Sinead's face. "What did she look like, Umi?"

"She was as tall as you, Sinead, had really blonde hair, blue eyes, and wore muggle clothes."

Alex hissed angrily, and Sinead looked pretty pissed herself.

"Fleur."

"Fleur?" Umi asked, stumbling over to the bed, and sitting to apply her bandage. Alex took it from her, and placed it on her cheek carefully.

"She's one of my old friends, a veela who goes to a different school. After I started here at Hogwarts, I meet Sinead. I brought her home for a visit one year, and Fleur blew up at her, yelling, screaming, and throwing things. I later found out that she'd had a crush on me for years. I told her I didn't feel the same way, but she insisted that she could make me like her. She's always hated Sinead with a passion." Alex explained.

"Actually, she was one of the only people to hang around with him before he came here. After that, he was alone for a while, until I meet him in the library. We've been together ever since." Sinead added. "That was one of the reasons she was so pissed at me-she thought she was being replaced."

Umi scowled. "She's angry at you because you get to see him more than she does. That's what this all boils down to, right?"

"Pretty much."

"Bytch." Umi swore. "Some girl who got rejected attacked me because I said I'd tell you I saw her? The hell!"

"But why didn't she go after Sinead instead? That's the _real_ question here." Alex said. "It's confusing."

"Don't ask me the inner workings of a rejected girl, much less a rejected blonde..." Umi said. "On a good day, I can't explain a blonde to you."

Sinead looked annoyed. "We need to tell Dumbledore."

Alex and Umi nodded their heads. Umi stood, tapping each of her feet on the floor before following her friends out of the room.

~Break~

The three stood outside the gargoyle that marked the headmaster's office. "Let us in!" Umi cried, whacking the thing with her wand, which had been shrunk the entire time she had been at Hogwarts.

"Maybe a spell..?" Sinead wondered. "It's probably proofed against _Alohamora_."

Umi frowned at the hunk of rock. She called the power of the shadows to herself. With a swish, her wand extended to its full length, an intricate curve of polished wood growing out of the end. She pointed this at the statue, and with a groan, the gargoyle shifted. A sighing sound echoed through the hall, and her wand returned to normal. Alex and Sinead were giving her a look.

"What? Never seen a person make a gargoyle move before?" she teased, climbing the cut steps up the tower.

The two ascended behind her, till they reached the oak door at the top. Umi poked the thing, and it swung open.

-|That's usually a bad thing...|- Umi said, cautiously peering into the room.

|Be on your toes, koi. I don't want you hurt again.|

-|I never get hurt on purpose!|-

|Of course not.|

Umi frowned into the darkness. "_Lumos_" the tip of her wand lit in a bright flash of light. Dumbledore's' office was filled with cabinets, kick-knacks, and odds and ends. A red phoenix was standing on a silver perch with a large shallow basin set beneath it.

"Fawkes." Sinead said, holding her arm out to the magnificent bird. The creature gave her a look, and then fluttered over to perch on her arm.

"That's a pretty bird, is he Dumbledore's pet?" Umi asked, petting Fawkes's feathers.

"Yeah, he's had him for longer than he's been headmaster." Alex said. "We're going to wait here for him- he needs to know Fluer's here."

Sinead and Umi settled into plush armchairs that were before the desk. Within minutes, both were fast asleep. Alex conjured blankets, and tucked the two in snugly.

"Goodnight, my love, little sis." Alex breathed, settling down beside Sinead's chair, watching the door carefully.

~Break~

Light flooded the headmaster's office, every nook and cranny filled with the orange glow of a rising sun. Umi shifted in her large armchair, waking Alex, who had dozed off. His head swiveled over to her, and back when he saw that it had just been Umi. Behind him, Sinead yawned, eyes coming open.

"G'morning 'lex." she said sleepily. Alex smiled at her, taking hold of her hand, stroking it softly.

"Sleep well, love?"

"Yup." Sinead stood, and moved around the chair to settle herself in Alex's lap. She grabbed the blanket from the armchair, and wrapped it around the both of them. "Did you sleep at all last night?"

Alex shook his head, capturing her lips as she opened them to protest. "Tasty and delicious." he complimented, resting his head on her shoulder.

"And that's just me." she laughed, taking a cinnamon candy from the pocket of her robes and popping it in her mouth.

"Yup!" Alex agreed whole-heartedly, fake-biting her purple hair. "Tastes like grapes!"

Sinead squealed. "Not the hair!"

Umi giggled from her place on the other armchair. "I could spend all day watching you two-it's like a funny romance novel."

"Morning Umi!" Sinead cried, waving vigorously at the girl.

"Good Morning Sinead-nee, Alex-nii. Sleep well?"

"Very-Alex was playing guard-dog all night."

"Does that mean he didn't sleep last night either?"

"Yeah."

"You're going to crash in classes tomorrow, Alex-nii."

"That's what HoM is for!"

"May I inquire as to what you are doing in my office this early in the morning?" Dumbledore asked, pushing open the oak door at the top of the stairs.

"Professor!" Sinead cried, leaping off of Alex's lap.

"Professor Dumbledore...there's a problem." Umi said slowly.

"What would this problem be?" Dumbledore asked his eyes a-twinkle.

The three described the goings on after the troll fiasco at the feast, leaving nothing out, except Umi's growing wand, because she'd given them a look from behind the professor. After they had told their story, Dumbledore looked baffled. "We should do something about this...there's a threat to the students here. I'll need to set up an appointment with the Minister to take care of the inter-school issues...You three should return to your house. Fawkes, if you would..." The phoenix flew over to the three, and in a flash of fire, took them to their common room. Sinead stumbled but regained her balance as they landed awkwardly in front of the fire. Umi grabbed Sinead's shoulder to steady herself. "What time is it?" Umi asked, flopping into a chair before the hearth.

"Nine o'clock." came a girly voice. "Time for me to eliminate my rivals."

"Fleur!" Sinead shouted, backing away from the blonde girl. "You let the trolls in?"

"Nope. That was someone else-I just...guided the Troll to where I knew you were. I should've known that Alex would go to you, since you tricked him into liking you!" Fleur announced. "I never figured that _girl_ you hang out with would go too. No matter, I'll get rid of you both today."

Alex growled. "I don't tolerate people insulting _my_ Sinead- not even you, Fleur! Sinead, love, go with Umi someplace else."

"Alex..." Sinead warned, seeing him bristling.

With a roar, Alex burst out of his skin, transforming into a huge white tiger.

Umi froze, eyes going wide. "Animagus..." she breathed. Sinead wrapped her arms around Umi.

"We have to go, Umi, come with me." Sinead said, grabbing Umi's wrist. "We'll go up to our dormitory."

Alex walked between the girls and Fleur as they made their way to the steps. He remained at the foot of the stairs, growling a warning.

"As if you could hurt me, Alex. You're not capable of it." Fleur taunted. "Just help me remove my rivals, and we can be together..." She cooed, turning her veela charm up full blast. Alex winced visibly as her power hit him.

He growled, then changed back into his human form. "Fleur...How dumb are you? You threatened Sinead, and you think you can sway me with your power?"

Fluer's face fell. "If I can't sway you, I'll just keep you out of the picture for a while!" She shrieked, pulling out her wand. Fleur had always been a capable spell-caster, so it was no surprise she got in the first blow. Unfortunately, that first blow was a stunner. Alex dropped like a rock, and was stepped over by a smirking Fleur.

"Now to my prey." She lips turned up in a feral smile as she burst into the dorm room. Sinead looked up as the door opened, and froze.

"Where's Alex." she said, voice low.

"He's taking a cat-nap, sweetness. No-one can interrupt us now." Fleur mocked.

Umi hissed, holding up her wand, calling the shadows to her. The room darkened slightly. With a swish, her wand extended to its full length, an intricate curve of polished wood growing out of the end. This time, a black shadow-crystal floated inside the curl of wood. "Shall we battle?" Umi asked in a calm voice. Nothing could harm her when she was wrapped in the comfort of the shadows. She extended the reach of the shadows to Sinead, eyes glowing with a ring of gold. Fleur took an unconscious step backwards.

Umi smirked. "Show no fear. That will be your downfall when you challenge the shadows, silly girl. And challenge them you have."

The purple power of the Shadow Realm engulfed the room, swallowing the soul of Fleur.

"Penalty game!" Umi intoned, pointing her finger at the girl with all the conviction of kami himself. For here, she was a _goddess_. Fluer screamed, and collapsed to the ground in a dead faint. Umi's eyes clouded, and she dropped to the ground a moment later, banishing Fluer and the shadows back to their realm. Sinead stood in shock for a moment, before dropping beside Umi.

Alex awoke twenty minutes later. He ran up the stairs, barely registering the fact that they allowed him up, and burst into the dorm room.

"Sinead-!"

He froze. Umi and Sinead were unconscious on the floor, and Fluer was nowhere to be seen. He picked up Sinead, and felt for a pulse, relief flooding through him when he found one. He moved to Umi, and found a pulse there too. With a sigh of relief, he lifted them both up, and carried them back to the infirmary.

~Break~

Umi frowned at the bright light, but made no sound.

-|Who's dumb idea was it to put bright lights in a hospital ward!|-

|The matron's, I assume.|

-|Idiotic woman.|-

She sat up, glancing around her. In the bed beside hers lay Sinead. Alex's head was resting on his love's stomach, rising and falling with the witch's breathing. She lay back down carefully, her head pounding.

|She should wake up soon, koi. I hope you don't plan on using the shadows anymore-they're hard to summon into this castle- its warded.|

-|I'm more concerned with what happened to Alex-he wouldn't go down without a fight.|-

|Better yet, how did he get into the dormitory? It's warded against boys|

-|Good question...|-

"Alex-nii...?" She breathed. Alex looked up.

"Umi!" he whisper-exclaimed, going over to her bed. "Umi, what happened?"

"I used a spell I found in a book in Flourish and Blotts- I don't know what it was supposed to do...but it took _so much_ power..." she felt bad for lying, but she didnt want them to fear her for her shadow magic. "After she came in, and threatened Sinead and me, I got so scared. I used it without thinking."

Alex hugged her tight. "You're safe, Umi. She disappeared, right out of Hogwarts. She won't be coming back."

Umi nodded, hugging him back. "You got up into the dorm-how?"

"The stairs didn't throw me back. I don't know why."

Umi sighed, relaxing. "I don't know why Sinead fainted...maybe it was an effect of the spell...?" she half asked, half said.

Alex nodded. "Sleep some more, Umi, looks like you need it." He moved back to assume his vigil over Sinead. Umi smiled.

She mumbled something so softly he couldn't hear, as she was drifting off into sleep.

Alex looked up at her, but she had already fallen deeply asleep.

~Break~

Sinead moaned as the light of the infirmary pierced through her eyelids. Alex immediately reacted, sitting up, his eyes on her face.

"Sinead?"

She sat upright, frowning at her surroundings. "What happened? I remember all this darkness..."

He pulled her close, hugging her to him. "Umi used a spell she found in the book store-she doesn't know what it was supposed to do. You both fainted."

Sinead frowned. "That doesn't sound right...I remember Fluer screaming, and Umi's eyes were glowing..."

"That was most likely the spell she cast, Sinead." he reassured her.

"Where is Umi?" Sinead asked, trying to see around Alex.

"She's over there-sleeping as far as I know." Alex said, motioning to her right with his head, reluctant to release her.

Sinead, however, stood, and walked over to the other girl's bedside.

_"That's the second time she's done something advanced and scary...what are you, Umi?"_

A voice echoed through her mind, causing her to recoil instinctively, throwing up weak mental barriers.

|Are you Sinead?|

Alex came up to her, looking concerned.

|Think your answers and I shall hear them. Are you Sinead?|

-Yes-

|Sinead, I am Mare.|

-Isn't that...-

|The second part of Umi's name? Yes.|

-What are you?-

"I'm fine, Alex...but I need to go back to sleep." Sinead said, returning to the bed.

Closing her eyes, she resumed her conversation with 'Mare'.

|I am She-Who-Beat-the-King-of-Games, Ruler of the Realm of Shadows, and the darkness of Umi Kagamine.|

-The what of Umi Kagamine?-

|Darkness. Her other half.|

-What?-

|I reside within her mind, but I am a soul born a millennia ago, preserved in such a fashion that I might return to the world.|

-Creepy...-

|Your reaction is less entertaining than my hikari's was. She was positively amusing.|

-Hikari?-

|The word means light in Japanese|

-Ah...-

|You are wondering why I chose to reveal myself to you?|

-Yeah, kind of.-

|My hikari would have told you this if she didn't fear your reaction and the reactions of her friends when she blows their cover in telling you...|

-Telling me what?-

|That she, and those who arrived with her, are Shadow Mages.|

-What!-

~Break~

|Umi, koi...I told Sinead everything...| Mare said, knocking on Umi's Soul Room Door.

-|Go away Mare. I'm never coming out. They hate me now...|-

|No, she doesn't feel that way. In fact, she's here to visit you.|

-|WHAT!|-

-Hey Umi.-

-|Sinead!|- Umi ran to her door, pulling it wide open, revealing the interior. Once you closed the door, it seemed to vanish. The floor was sand, and they felt as though they were underwater in a large ocean, stretching far away into all the corners of her soul room. There was a tiny cottage on the sand that looked like it was made from a huge Snail shell, with a carved door handle made of gold. Fish swam in the air, and corals and sea-plants dotted the landscape of the Soul Room. There were huge mushrooms growing around the shell, like a forest.

-|My true soul room is inside that house.|-

So saying, Umi led them into the shell. There they found a clean room, blue walls, and a pale cream carpet. There was a large bed, and a state-of-the-art computer on a desk. 'Perfect World International' art posters clung to the walls, and there were bookshelves stuffed with manga, novels, art drawing books, textbooks, and cookbooks.

-|What do you think? Mare always tells me my room is so plain.|-

-I like it in here.-

-|Thanks Sinead. You're the first person other than Mare to come in here, you know.|-

-Really?-

-|The Soul Room is a very personal, private place in one's mind. Not many can visit their own, much less someone else's.|-

|No-one but Umi is allowed in my Room. I wouldn't trust anyone else with the secrets kept within.|

-Secrets? Oh, the Ruler-of-the-Shadow-Realm stuff?-

|You betcha|

-Right...-

-|The life of the people on this planet is hinged on whether or not Mare can keep her secrets secret.|-

-Huh?-

-|Right. The Shadow Realm exists alongside our own-like the Yin and Yang, Earth and Shadows work together to keep balance.|-

|Without one, neither can exist-and I know how to remove, or destroy, the Shadow Realm. It's part of why I rule it.|

-Scary...You know how to bring about Armageddon, then?-

-|Pretty much|- Umi laughed.

|It's nothing so catastrophic! Everything would blink out of existence, rebuild itself, and start over exactly the same as before.|

-|The world would still end, love.|-

|Ah, shuddap.|

-Love?-

|We're together. Got a problem with that?|

Sinead shook her head softly.

-|Sinead, what did you and Alex row about?|-

-It's...nothing.-

-|You don't have to tell me, Sinead, but if you ever do, let me know-This link should remain stable if Mare lends a hand helping me root it into our minds.|-

-?-

-|By rooting the mental connection, we can communicate telepathically whenever you like, and we can visit each others Soul Rooms too.|-

-Ah...-

-|This mental stuff takes time to get used to, doesn't it?|-

-Yeah-

-|I took a pretty short amount of time, but then, I had been using Shadow Magic my whole life, so...|-

|She was used to crazy shyt happening.|

-|What Mare said!|-

-How do we get back...? Should I tell Alex, or do you want to?-

-|You can let Mare do it, if you'd like.|-

Sinead shook her head. -I want to tell him before Mare talks, please.-

-|If you like, nee-chan.|-

|Here, we'll take you out, Sinead.|

Sinead flew back into her body, waking with a jolt.

_"What am I supposed to tell him?'Hey, Alex, when a voice talks in your head, you're _not_ crazy it's just a person renting space in Umi's brain'? Ha. Yeah right."_

Speaking of certain cat animagi...

Alex had fallen asleep on the bed beside her, clutching her hand in his. She smiled at him. "Alex, wake up. Umi wants to talk to you." she said, jiggling his hand.

-All clear, Umi, he's waking up.-

-|Lets do this again, shall we?|-


	3. Author's Note and Hope for Updates

Hey everyone! :D uh yeah I should probably apologize for not updating this story for a while, I have had massive writers block because Alex and Sinead (the real people) have broken up so it's hard for me to write about their characters being together after the things the real Sinead's done and said…but rest assured, I will most likely get something written soon…I hope. I was considering skipping over the rest of the year at Hogwarts, but then I realized that I'd be skipping quite a lot…so I'm at a bit of a loss as to how to continue, and eventually, wrap this up soundly. Ill figure something out and get it posted soon, since I won't have as much time to write after the school year picks up in a few weeks.


	4. Chapter 4

Alex had taken the whole thing surprisingly well. After explaining everything within Umi's soul room, the three took Alex to his own, a bright, clean space, despite his dark attitude at times.

-|So, niinii, what do you think of your soul room?|-

+It's comfortable here+

|Of course it is! It's the personification of your soul.| Mare announced cheerfully.

-Guys? Madame Pomfrey is coming- Sinead warned.

The group exchanged glances, before standing and exiting Alex's mind together.

The school matron bustled around the Hospital Wing, poking and prodding all three of them over and over. Eventually, they were released, much to Umi's relief.

"Thank god we got out of there." She sighed, turning a corner into the entrance hall. "I'm beginning to hate that place."

Alex laughed "We end up there quite a bit, don't we?"

|I'd personally rather none of you end up there again.| Mare said, frowning at the trio.

-|Your such a mother hen, koi|-

Mare pouted, retreating to her soul room as the three seated themselves in the Great Hall for dinner.

~Break~

_Some weeks later, on the second to last day of term_

Sinead was draped lazily over an armchair by the fire, watching Umi doodle on a spare roll of parchment. Alex had disappeared off into the boys' dorm an hour ago to do something with a few other seventh years. They were the only people in the common room, probably due to the late hour. Umi put her quill down with a satisfied look, before blowing on the parchment and rolling it into a scroll, which she tied with a thin ribbon and placed into her bag. "Alright, nee-chan, I'm going to bed. See you in the morning." She yawned, slinging her satchel over her shoulder and heading to the staircases.

"Night Umi. Sleep well." She acknowledged, giving the first year a small wave. The sixth year stared into the flickering flames of the fireplace, watching the light dance.

~break~

In the Gryffindor common room a first year by the name of Neville Longbottom was having an argument with The Boy Who Lived, and his Golden Duo.

"You can't go out," said Neville, "you'll be caught again. Gryffindor will be in even more trouble."

"You don't understand," Harry said, "this is important."

But Neville was clearly steeling himself to do something desperate. "I won't let you do it," he said, hurrying to stand in front of the portrait hole. "I'll — I'll fight you!"

"_Neville,_" Ron exploded, "get away from that hole and don't be

an idiot —!"

"Don't you call me an idiot!" said Neville. "I don't think you should be breaking any more rules! And you were the one who told me to stand up to people!"

"Yes, but not to _us,_" said Ron in exasperation. "Neville, you don't know what you're doing."

He took a step forward and Neville dropped Trevor the toad, who leapt out of sight.

"Go on then, try and hit me!" said Neville, raising his fists. "I'm ready!"

Harry turned to Hermione. "_Do something,_" he said desperately.

Hermione stepped forward. "Neville," she said, "I'm really, really sorry about this." She raised her wand.

"_Petrificus Totalus_!" Hermione cried, pointing it at Neville.

Neville's arms snapped to his sides. His legs sprang together. His whole body rigid, he swayed where he stood and then fell flat on his face, stiff as a board.

Hermione ran to turn him over. Neville's jaws were jammed together so he couldn't speak. Only his eyes were moving, looking at them in horror.

"What've you done to him?" Harry whispered.

"It's the full Body-Bind," said Hermione miserably. "Oh, Neville, I'm so sorry."

"We had to, Neville, no time to explain," said Harry.

"You'll understand later, Neville," said Ron as they stepped over him and pulled on what appeared to the hikari to be an invisibility cloak. As soon as Gryffindor's resident Golden Trio had left, Yugi, who had appeared right as Hermione had jinxed the hapless boy, scurried over to Neville, and with a whispered spell, released the boy. "You okay Neville?" he asked, helping him up.

"Yeah, I'm fine Yugi. But we have to stop them. If they get caught, we'll all get in trouble!"

Yugi frowned. "Let's go get them back here then."

{Be careful Yugi…} Yami warned, eyeing the dark corridor stretched out before them.

"Hey Neville, are you sure they went down here?" Yugi asked, peering at the forbidden hallway with a slightly apprehensive gaze.

Neville nodded vigorously, pulling the hikari down the passage by the wrist.

Harry, Ron and Hermione had just removed the cloak, when there was a pattering of feet behind them, and the door burst open once more revealing a winded Neville and Yugi.

"Yugi? What are you guys _doing _here?" Hermione whisper shouted

"Uh, you might want to worry about that some other time Hermione…" Ron squeaked, watching the monstrous three headed dog warily as it stirred. The music of a certain golden harp was slowing, and the dog was slowly wakening.

"We have to move quickly." Harry announced. "Yugi, Neville, _stay here_." He ordered, opening a trapdoor.

Yugi snorted. "As if. I'm not letting you go down there alone. Who knows what's down there."

Neville stepped forward, beside Harry. "If you're going, I'm coming too."

Hermione sighed. "We don't have time for this. We need to get going. Snape could already have the stone." She grabbed Yugi and Neville. "Come on, if you insist on coming."

~Break~

Morning dawned bright and early, and found the Ravenclaw dorm in a state of chaos, as students hurried to complete last minute packing of trunks and collecting of course books. Umi was rearranging her trunk to fit a few last minute things, when Sinead plopped down beside her, and gave her a happy grin.

"How's packing, Umi?" she asked.

"I've got everything." Umi chimed, clicking the padlock on the trunk shut.

"Great. Hey, come with me for a sec?" her surrogate sister asked.

"Sure. I'll just get my shoes." The light announced, hunting for her converse in the jumble of trunks littering the dorm floor.

Sinead led the first year along the corridor, to a little alcove looking out over the Lake.

"So, Umi, there's a few things I wanted to talk to you about." The sixth year began. "See, I've been having some problems with this person this year, getting too close to my boyfriend. I really hate this person, they're so annoying, always trying to butt into our time." She explained.

Umi looked puzzled. "I haven't noticed anyone like that. Are they a seventh year like Alex?"

"No, the person I'm talking about is a first year. You."

"When have I ever butted into your time? You think I'm after Alex? I don't like him like that!"

"No matter what I do, you're always there! You _always _tag after us like a lost puppy, and I'm _sick_ of it! I've kept my silence because he didn't seem to mind, but just now, he broke up with me! I just KNOW it's because of YOU!" Sinead screeched, grabbing hold of Umi and shaking her.

"I didn't do anything! I don't know why he broke up with you!" the light tried to explain.

Sinead threw Umi away from her, and stalked away, leaving the dazed first year behind.

Sorry that was so short, and slightly out of character for Sinead. But it had to happen, since I don't really want to write about her anymore. Read and review! :D I'll try to get something written out, but I'm kinda winging it at this point.

~Umi


End file.
